Right… Well, here we have the latest chapter of Heterochromia. As promised, I started the project up again, now that it's summer. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Chaotic Showdown

Aaron's POV

I followed the trail of destruction, racing to catch up with this "Dr. Eggman", and rescue my friend. I still felt that this entire mess was my fault. I should never have been so hard on him.

As I raced to catch up with the doctor, I forgot to look where I was going and bumped into someone, sending both of us to the ground.

What is it with me and bumping into people today?

"Man, I am SO sorry!" I apologized to the guy I crashed into. "I was in a hurry, and I wasn't looking where I was going!"

I stepped back to examine who I knocked down. He looked like this hedgehog that looked similar to Sonic, but his fur was black, with these red streaks at certain parts of his body, and his quills pointed upwards and outwards, in stark contrast to Sonic's limp quills. Who the heck is this guy?

"You?" he questioned me.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The black hedgehog only turned away slightly, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head.

"No, you don't, but I have seen you before." Where? "I'm Shadow the Hedgehog," he introduced himself.

"Aaron Skyhart," I introduced myself to him as well.

Geez, this guy is creepy. I started to continue running when I heard Shadow call out.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To chase the guy who kidnapped my best friend."

"Sorry, buddy, but my colleagues and I have an appointment with the doctor."

I glanced at him over my shoulder. "And your 'appointment' takes precedence over mine? How do I know you're not spies for him?"

"We each worked with the doctor once, but those days are over."

"I don't believe that."

"Fine by me, but I won't let you stand in my way."

I slowly slipped into a battle stance. "Neither will I."

I watched Shadow enter a battle stance as well. This will be a nice distraction.

Shadow's POV

I stared down with the heterochromatic fox… Aaron… preparing for any attack he can throw at me. I have no idea exactly what he's capable of… I'd better stay on my toes.

Aaron started gathering chaos energy in his right hand, solidifying it into this javelin, which he sent flying at me. I just barely dogded the bolt, and countered with a Chaos Spear of my own. Aaron was caught off-guard and went down hard. However, he almost immediately got back up, ready for round two. The battle continued like this for a long time… us dodging and countering each other's projectiles. Finally, Aaron sidestepped one of my Chaos Spears, and charged forward, switching the field to hand-to-hand combat. This is a second nature to me, so I could easily overpower him. However, Aaron apparently studied martial arts at one point, and battled me like a pro. I reiterate; I need to be ready for anything with this guy.

Eventually, I was able to create an opening in Aaron's defense, and immediately took advantage of it, wailing away at him. Those sunglasses he was wearing didn't even get hit as I was beating him up. Why does he even need them? Finally, I sent him flying backwards, claiming victory in our showdown.

I calmly walked over to him, staring down at his pitiful image.

"You…" he breathed out heavily. "How are you so powerful?"

"I'm the world's Ultimate Life form, created by Professor Gerald Robotnik," I answered him. Aaron's eyes seemed to widen slightly at the mention of the professor's name.

"You're… his greatest creation…"

"Flattery isn't going to save you in a life-or-death situation," I advised him. "Rely on your own power, your own skills, to save your skin. But if your shades are anything to judge from, you have no self-confidence to speak of…"

"Shut up!" Aaron screamed. "My eyes… their mismatched colors… their the most hideous things on the planet! It's impossible for anyone to find beauty in these horrid things!"

"I disagree."

"LIAR! My eyes-"

"I never lie about such trivial things, Skyhart," I bluntly told him. "I saw your eyes the other night, and I think their beautiful… I believe Sonic, Tails, and Amy have all told you the same thing… Clearly, the only person in this town who hates your eyes is you."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! ANYONE WHO SEES MY EYES BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE THE MOST DISGUSTING THINGS ON THE PLANET!"

"And how many people have actually said that?"

Aaron was about to continue his self-destructive rant, but my question stopped him dead in his tracks.

"…zero," He eventually answered.

"I rest my case," I wrapped up the discussion. "Well? Don't you have a friend to rescue?"

The fox looked up at me in surprise. His face then melted into a grateful smile, and he gave me his thanks before continuing his pursuit of the doctor. I stared after him as he charged off.

Those eyes of his… are the key to unlocking his full potential. With them hidden, he won't stand a chance.

I'm sorry this chapter is so short; I just can't write a decent battle scene. Well, hopefully, that'll improve in time. Anyway, please review.